Herman Melville beats Dan Brown in new readers’ poll; Jesus beats all

It’s a good day whenever classic literature ranks high on a readers’ list. It’s an even better day when 50 Shades of Grey isn’t even on it. The Harris Poll, which was conducted originally in 2008 and again in March of 2014, asked 2,234 U.S. adults what their favorite book is. According to the results,

Across all the various demographic groups, The Bible is the number one book, but there are definitely differences in the second favorite. Men go to fantasy, with The Lord of the Rings series being their second favorite, while for women it’s all about the Southern charm in Gone with the Wind. There is also a generational difference, with Millennials’ second favorite being the Harry Potter series while for Gen Xers it’s The Lord of the Rings series. Both Baby Boomers’ and Matures’ second favorite is Gone with the Wind…

Back in 2008 when the Harris poll was last conducted, Dan Brown held the #6 spot with The Da Vinci Code. What is it in 2014? Herman Melville’s Moby Dick! That’s worthy of a celebration to me.